If it doesn't taste good, why eat it?

jalapeños

Need a new way to prepare winter greens that are lingering in the fridge? Or do you have some frozen peas to use up and aren’t quite sure how to go about making something interesting with them because if you serve plain ol’ peas again you’ll be banished from meal planning forever? Look no further. This dish is simple and it provides plenty of pop for the taste buds.

sarson ka saag

This dish (also known as “sarson ka saag”) really can be made with any type of greens, be they broccoli rabe or spinach, collards or chard, or even peas and mustard greens. The way that it’s outlined below makes for a stiff sort of side dish, but you could certainly water it down a bit with water or chicken or vegetable broth for a creamier consistency and then serve it over rice. Personally, I served it along side panko-crusted white fish and we had naan dipped in Greek yogurt too.

naan with spiced yogurt

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds broccoli rabe

1/2 pound spinach

2 tablespoons cornmeal

3 garlic cloves

1 jalapeño, seeded

One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled

1 red onion, chopped

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Salt

broccoli rabe, ginger, jalepenos, red onion

fresh, local spinach

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and cook for 2 minutes (to blanch)

Add the spinach and cook for 30 seconds

Drain the greens, transfer to a food processor and puree

Sprinkle the cornmeal over the greens and pulse, to combine

Set the pureed greens aside

if the recipe came in a box we'd call this the "season packet" 😉

Add the garlic, jalapeños and ginger to the food processor and pulse until you have a fine chop. Add the onions

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Add the garlic-onion mixture and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned

Add the pureed greens and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally; add about 1/4 cup of water if the greens look dry